KAILUA-KONA — Kua Bay reopened Saturday after two shark sightings in the North Kona waters closed it on Friday, according to Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources officials.
The closure at Maniniowali Beach, also known as Kua Bay at Kekaha Kai State Park, took effect at 11:30 a.m. Friday, according to the DLNR Department of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE). It reopened at noon Saturday.
“Long-standing, standard protocol is to reopen a beach at noon the day after a sighting, after they’ve looked for any continued shark presence,” said Dan Dennison, senior communications manager for DLNR.
The first sighting was in Kukio Bay where a kayaker reported an aggressive tiger shark bumped the kayak.
Later that morning, a visitor saw and photographed a shark in the surf line at Kua Bay. That photo was shared with park groundskeepers who then notified the DOCARE office.
The sighting comes 10 days after the largest known great white dubbed “Deep Blue” was spotted off Oahu feeding on a sperm whale carcass.
Unlike the great white, tiger sharks are common in Hawaiian waters.